Early Signing Day Preview: Head coach Pete Golding and Rebels set to sign 2026 commits
OXFORD, Miss. — The recruiting show is going on for the Ole Miss Rebels, despite a coaching change. The Golding Era has officially begun in Oxford. Newly appointed head coach Pete Golding and his staff have hit the ground running, working diligently to strengthen the Rebels’ 2026 recruiting class ahead of the early signing period, which takes place from Wednesday, December 3, through Friday.
This year’s signing class is set to welcome 17 committed athletes, though there may be a few surprises on the horizon as potential flips could emerge. Additionally, expect other schools — including LSU — to make last-minute pitches to Ole Miss recruits.
Here are the 2026 Ole Miss commits as of Tuesday night:
Landon Barnes: 4-star Edge Duncanville (TX)
Damarius Yates: 4-star RB Kemper Co (MS)
Emmanuel Tucker: 4-star DL New Albany (MS)
Craig Tutt: 4-star S Oakland (TN)
Dorian Barney: 4-star CB Carrolton (GA)
IVerson McCoy: 4-star SAF Tupelo (MS)
Kervin Johnson: 3-star WR Tioga (LA) (Flip from LSU)
Carmelow Reed: 3-star DL Rich Township (IL)
Anthony Davis Jr.: 3-star LB Grayson (GA)
JaMichael Garrett: 3-star LB Central (LA)
Nascar McCoy 3-Star CB Buford (GA)
Ja’Michael Jones: 3-star RB Pike Road (AL)
Jayden Curtis: 3-star DL Ocean Springs (MS)
Jett Goldsberry: 3-star ATH Heritage Hills (IL)
Victor Lincoln: 3-star CB Lancaster (TX)
Braylen Williams: 3-star CB Tupelo (MS)
Rees Wise: 3-star QB Austin Westlake (TX)
A few decommits…and some possible flips
After Lane Kiffin left for LSU, a few players decided to reopen their recruitment. Wide receivers Jameson Powell and Corey Barber reopened theirs, while tight end JC Anderson flipped to LSU.
The No. 6 Ole Miss Rebels now will also set their sites on the postseason run. We look forward to bringing you more with our new Rebel class and more during the early signing period.
Lee Ann Herring-Olvedo
Lee Ann serves as the Director of Recruiting for The Rebel Walk. She sees college football the way championship programs do—from inside the personnel room. Every evaluation, every roster move, every recruiting battle tells a bigger story about identity, culture, and how a program is built to win in December, not just July.
With more than 15 years covering the SEC and the national recruiting landscape, Herring-Olvedo has built a reputation as one of the sport’s most respected personnel-driven voices—blending film evaluation, roster construction, and long-term program vision through a true front-office lens. Her coverage of powerhouse brands like Ole Miss Rebels and Kentucky Wildcatshas consistently gone beyond headlines, focusing instead on the blueprint behind winning programs: development, fit, culture, and recruiting strategy.
That foundation was formed early at Brown University, where she worked in player personnel and recruiting while competing as a student-athlete. Inside those recruiting operations rooms, she learned how elite organizations are truly built—through relentless evaluation, relationship building, projection, and trust in the board. Those experiences shaped the way she studies the game today: part scout, part storyteller, part architect.
Her analysis and reporting have appeared across major platforms including ESPN, NFL coverage spaces, USA Today Sports, and Saturday Down South. She also brought her personnel-minded approach to the airwaves as an on-air analyst for the Wake Up 502 College Football Show on Big X Sports Radio 96.1, where she became known for combining film-room detail with a wider understanding of roster identity and program trajectory.
In 2025, covering the rise of Houston Cougars football under Willie Fritz reignited the part of the sport that first drew her into football—the culture, the edge, the belief that a roster can reshape an entire city. That inspiration led to the launch of Coogs 365 Sports, a platform built to cover Houston athletics through a true scouting and recruiting lens while connecting the emotion of the game to the heartbeat of H-Town.
Now, Herring-Olvedo returns to The Rebel Walk where with an even deeper perspective shaped by years inside recruiting circles, national SEC coverage, and hands-on evaluation experience. Her return brings a familiar voice back to Ole Miss coverage—but with an evolved lens rooted in roster architecture, player development, and the modern realities of building championship-caliber football in the NIL and portal era.
For Herring-Olvedo, recruiting has never been about stars beside a name. It is about identifying competitors, projecting growth, and building a locker room capable of sustaining success. Her philosophy mirrors the best front offices in football: stack traits, trust culture, and never stop building.
